Quarton International is pleased to announce that the Belgian corporation Studio 100 N.V intends to acquire a 68 % majority in the German brand management and media company m4e AG. The founding and principal shareholders of m4e AG, Hans Ulrich Stoef, Michael Büttner, Oliver Jansen and Cees Wessels (the latter through his associated companies TSC Holding B.V. and WMG Holding B.V.), reached an agreement today with Studio 100 N.V. regarding the sale of all their shares.
This move will make the combination of entities one of the leading kids and family entertainment and content companies in Europe. The completion of the transaction is still subject to several suspensive conditions including the approval by the German Federal Cartel Office.
The new constellation will enable m4e to continue investing in new content and its worldwide exploitation. It brings together two perfect strategic partners who will strengthen their local and international distribution power, guarding each other against a growing international competition.
Quarton International act as the exclusive investment banking advisor to the shareholders of m4e AG in this sales process.
“We are very happy about the agreement with Studio 100 and we are fully convinced that this is the right move for the future strategic orientation of m4e. The international markets are in a huge upheaval and consolidation phase on every level, considering the ongoing digitalization amongst others. Personally, I find the new constellation extremely motivating and exciting and I am looking very much forward to working with Studio 100”, said Hans Ulrich Stoef, who will continue to act as CEO of m4e AG, keeping the company on its international growth track.
“Together we are planning a strategic cooperation in the area of kids and family entertainment.“ Hans Bourlon, CEO of Studio 100, comments: “We are very excited about taking the next step to our internationalization. The synergies that are created by this acquisition will pay off in the years ahead.”
The m4e Group, founded in 2003, is an international brand management and media company with focus on family entertainment. Its library contains more than 2,300 episodes, furthermore the shows are available in 150 countries. Since July 2007, m4e AG is listed on the Entry Standard at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Studio 100 is based in Schelle (Belgium). It was found in 1996 as a small TV production company for the entertainment and education of kids and their parents. Today the company is an international content supplier with a broad media product portfolio of TV series, live shows, theme parks, online games and brands like Maya The Bee, Vic The Viking and Heidi.
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